ST. JOHN’S – Earlier this week, in a landmark decision, the Ontario Superior Court struck down provisions which prevented the 22,000 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officers nationwide from unionizing and engaging in free collective bargaining.

“New Democrats have joined the Mounties in calling for the removal of these provisions since they were first implemented by the Mulroney Conservatives in 1985,” said New Democrat Public Safety Critic Jack Harris. “This week’s decision is a reminder that government cannot usurp the right of workers to organize and be represented by an independent union.”

The RCMP is the only police force in Canada without a collective agreement. For 35 years, Staff Relations Representatives (SRR) have been elected to deal with employment issues, however the program, which provides for democratic staff representatives, only provides a scheme of consultation, not true collective bargaining. An independent union will not only provide an avenue for negotiating pay, benefits and working conditions, but also stands to have positive impacts on the culture of the RCMP, provide better protection for those Officers who come forward with concerns about the operations of the force, and for resolving disputes.

“The Officers who have served as Staff Relations Representatives have done their best within that system, to represent the interests of rank-and-file members, and for that they should be commended," added Harris. "But, as Justice MacDonnell said in his decision, the structure of the SRR does not allow for the free collective bargaining process that an independent union would."

While the court’s decision strikes down provisions preventing an independent union, it gives the federal government 18 months to take action to fix the situation.

“I urge the Public Safety Minister to set aside his party’s anti-union bias and accept this decision,” concluded Harris. “He should get to work right away to provide the framework for free collective bargaining within the RCMP. The court has recognized their right to unionise and now the Federal Government must do so as well.”